Apparatus for transporting sheets of copying paper in a copying device

ABSTRACT

AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING A SHEET OF COPYING PAPER IN A COPYING APPARATUS FROM A STACK INTO A &#34;READY&#34; POSITION, WHEREIN THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISES THE APPLICATION OF A MORE OR LESS INDEFINITE WITHDRAWING FORCE ACTING ON THE TOPMOST SHEET OF THE STACK AND PUSHING THE SAME UNDER A STOP, DEFLECTION OF WHICH SWITCHES OFF THE APPLICATION OF THIS WITHDRAWING FORCE, FOLLOWED BY THE APPLICATION OF AN ADVANCING FORCE BECOMING EFFECTIVE AS A FUNCTION OF THE INTRODUCTION OF AN ORIGINAL TO BE COPIED, SO AS TO COLLECT THE SHEET OF COPYING PAPER FROM THE &#34;READY&#34; POSITION.

Jan. 5, 1971 w. LlMBERGER 3,552,849

APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SHEETS OF COPYING PAPER IN A COPYING DEVICE 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 12, 1968 Jan. 5, 1971 w, UMBERGER 3,552,849

APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SHEETS OF COPYING PAPER IN A COPYING DEVICE Filed April 12, 1968 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 5, 1971 w. LIMBERGER 3,552,

APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SHEETS OF COPYING PAPER IN A COPYING DEVICE Filed April 12, 1968 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 45 14 l 42 2s 58 a2 3 w 1m;

Jan. 5, 1971 w. LIMBERGER 3,552,849 APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SHEETS OF COPYING PAPER IN A COPYING DEVICE F'iledApril 12, 1968 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 5, 1971 w. LIMBERGER 3,55

APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SHEETS OF COPYING PAPER IN A COPYING DEVICE Filed April 12, 1968 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 LIMBERGER APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SHEETS OF COPYING Jan. 5, 1971 w.

PAPER IN A COPYING DEVICE 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed April 12, 1968 Fig. 6

Jan. 5, 1971 W. LIMBERGER APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SHEETS OF COPYING PAPER IN A COPYING DEVICE Filed April 12, 1968 Fig. 7

9 Sheets-Sheet '7 Jan. 5, 1971 Filed April 12, 1968 W. LIMBERGER PAPER IN A COPYING DEVICE 7 3,552,849. APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SHEETS OF COPYIN 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 w. LIMBERGER 3,552,849 APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SHEETS OF COPYING Jan. 5, 1971 PAPER IN A COPYING DEVICE 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed April 12, 1968 PS 3 A V w J E), g 3 m&/ 8 NS mi mi y B hi/W A k 8 m o J 3x QNN E Q 8 E E r Am 5 United States Patent 0 3,552,849 APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SHEETS OF COPYING PAPER IN A COPYING DEVICE Walter Limberger, Hamburg-Poppenbuttel, Germany, assignor to Fa. Lumoprint Zindler KG, Hamburg, Germany Filed Apr. 12, 1968, Ser. No. 726,638 Claims priority, application Germany, Apr. 18, 1967, L 56,277 Int. Cl. 60% 27/08; G03g 15/00 US. Cl. 35514- 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates, as indicated, to an improved apparatus for withdrawing an sheet of copying paper in a copier into a ready position, using intermittently op erating transport means, of which a withdrawing roller may act on the surface of the stack and be actuable by a stop switch, having a sensor arranged at the ready position for the leading edge of the sheet, wherein the sheet is withdrawn from this ready position as a function of the passage of the original to be copied past a certain point of another path through the apparatus, by means of a switch actuated by the original.

This apparatus uses invariably an intermittently operating transporting arrangement for moving a sheet of paper into the ready position, where the supply of sheets is automatically made up whenever a sheet is withdrawn, while the withdrawal from the ready position is effected by a transporting mechanism operating in a defined and/ or synchronous manner as a function of the passage of the original past a certain position.

The advancing force supplied by the intermittently operating transport mechanism may be regarded as undefined, because both the surface properties of the copying materials and of a withdrawing roller applied under contact pressure may change with time and possibly also with a reduction of the thickness of the stack of paper.

For safety reason, this construction includes that an intermittently operating withdrawing roller cannot be mounted directly at the edge of the stack and above the same. In consequence, known arrangements operate with overlap ing sheets withdrawn from the stack, wherein the amount of this overlap is governed by the distance between the withdrawing roller and the delivery edge of the stack. Certain tricks must be used in this construction to prevent that the two overlapping sheets are transported in this state from the intermittently operating transporting mechanism.

Hitherto only means for forming a comparatively large gap between successive sheets of copying paper have become known. However, this reduces the number of copies which can be produced per unit of time. This drawback is further enhanced by the fact that known constructions make a fundamental distinction between a continuously operating transport mechanism operating in synchronism with the apparatus, and an intermittently operating trans- 3,552,849 Patented Jan. 5, 1971 port mechanism, between which the ready position for the leading edge of the copying paper is located.

In a known construction, the transfer from the intermittent to the continuously operating transport mechanism requires a second, short-duration actuation of the intermittently driven transport mechanism, equipped with a pair of transport rollers gripping the sheet of copying paper, and from which the paper must be pulled out. The intermittent transport mechanism which provides the undefined force must be driven in a dual rhythm, but this does not eliminate the drawbacks mentioned above.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a method and an apparatus, whereby copying sheets may be withdrawn in a copier practically immediately successively from the stack so that also originals to be copied may be applied in direct sequence.

It is a further object of the invention to apply two intermittently acting forces with mutually offset timing and place of application, and differing in that the action of one of these forces need not be defined, whilst the other is a defined advancing force, acting directly and positively on the sheet of paper in the ready position.

Since the advancing or feed force is applied as a function of the passage of the original during a certain period, during which the other force is not applied, and the withdrawing force acting on the sheet of paper is applied intermittently but shifted in phase with regard to the advancing force, it is possible to produce the tight sequential feed of the successive sheets of paper, with a trailing edge immediately followed by a leading edge.

Thus, if different, but temporially limited, advancing forces cooperate with the sheets taken from the stack, a preferred embodiment of the invention provides that, in an arrangement with intermittent action for withdrawing sheets from a stack, Withdrawing and advancing forces differing in time are applied to the sheet, wherein a part of these intermittent forces causes simultaneously an ad vance action which is synchronized with a downstream transport arrangement.

According to one feature of the invention, the paper stack is associated with two transport means, of which a first one, namely an intermittently driven withdrawing roller, acts in a more or less undefined manner on the topmost sheet and is controlled by a stop switch with the sensor in the ready position, while the second consists of a combination of a continuously actuated transport device running synchronously with the main drive, and a mating element, arranged to be intermittently released by the original and producing after such release, together with the transport device, a positive engagement whose advancing speed depends on the advancing speed of the other driven parts of the apparatus.

It must be stressed that, in known constructions, the two transport means above mentioned are intermittently operating transport means. The invention provides a division into distinct drives and discloses a hitherto unknown feature, in that the first and second intermittently driven transport means are mutually offset in their operating phases.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the continuously driven transport device is a roller, driving the intermittently operating withdrawing roller on the top of the stack via a clutch coupling; the continuously revolving roller is associated with a mating or advancing roller having a circumferential recess or flat and adapted to be released by the original in order to engage the said roller for a certain period of time.

This construction offers particular advantages, because the optical transfer and exposure system requires an accurate synchronism between original and copying paper. In addition, in the arrangement according to the invention,

jerks are much reduced compared with known arrangements, because the mass of intermittently and temporally offset components can be reduced.

A special advantage of the ready position within the gap between two rollers, opened by the flat portion of one roller, is that the paper may be retained without any contact pressure. Thus, in the arrangement according to the invention, a sheet of copying paper may remain in the ready position for as long as required.

This is not possible with known devices, because pressure applied to the coating tends to damage the same.

Preferably, a transmission is provided between the continuously revolving roller and the intermittently driven withdrawing roller, such that the leading edge of a subsequent sheet of copying paper reaches the sensor within the zone of the continuously driven roller immediately after the release thereof by the removed sheet, and this even in the case where the withdrawing roller is actuated by the release of the sensor by the trailing edge of a copying sheet. In this manner, the direct and tight sequence of copying sheets may be achieved.

In a further preferred embodiment, the continuously driven roller has, for actuating the intermittently driven roller, a clutch coupling adapted to be engaged by a sensor actuated by the removal of the copying sheet. The mating or advancing roller may be adapted to rotate through one or several revolutions.

According to yet another feature of the invention, an actuating magnet for the clutch is associated with a reversing switch, serving in one position to de-energize and in the other position to energize the coupling, wherein the de-energizing takes place as a function of a sheet of copying paper entering into the ready position and the energization as a function of the absence of a sheet of copying paper in the ready position.

The electrical equipment has the advantage of a very simple construction, compared with hitherto known constructions embodying capacitors and rectifiers; it requires as actuating means merely two very small A.C. magnets and can be constructed throughout for AC. operation, but can, of course, also be operated with direct current. This is of great advantage for simplicity of circuitry and maintenance.

Since, according to the invention, two circuits may also be separated, forming on the one hand the withdrawing circuit and on the other the feed circuit, overlap of successive copying sheets is reliably prevented even with very tight control of the feed.

In a particular embodiment, by way of safety, a reversing switch is connected to two branches, one containing a warning lamp and the other the actuating magnet for the clutch coupling; the On-Off switch bridges both branches and is normally closed and may be opened as a function of the rotation of the transport element adapted to perform one or several revolutions. In this manner, a safety circuit and a warning indication may be realized with simple means.

According to a further important feature of the invention, the locking pawl for the mating or feed roller is associated with a cam disk with a step via a gearing, such that the cam disk revolves at an integral multiple of the revolutions of the mating or feed roller. Thus, a cam control may be connected to this cam disk for actuating parts of the apparatus, such as light sources and charging devices, with accurate timing and to maintain this actuation until the leading edge of the original is downstream of the exposure orifice and can take over. Hence, only one switch need be provided for the original, because the switch is released by the trailing end of the original passing the exposure aperture and controlling the correct timing of the switching off as a function of the length of the original.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing and from the appended claims. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus according to the invention, showing only those parts of the drive means which are necessary for the explanation;

FIG. 2 is a partial top view of the upper part of FIG. 1, explanatory of a function;

FIG. 3 is a basic control circuit diagram of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a further circuit diagram, explanatory of further features providing a safety function;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a partial top view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatical side elevation of the apparatus embodying the controls of FIGS. 5 and 6, illustrating the relative arrangement of the switches;

FIG. 8 is a partial top view of an apparatus according to FIG. 7, with the top wall partly broken away;

FIG. 9 is a control circuit for the embodiments of the invention shown in FIGS. 5 to 9.

The drawings show the invention merely diagrammatically, particularly in copying devices, with other parts indicated to illustrate the differences from known arrangements.

The invention relates mainly to the withdrawing of a sheet of copying material from a stack of such material. The means for guiding the original are therefore shown merely diagrammatically insofar as necessary to explain the functioning.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 4, there is shown a stack 1 with a top sheet 2. The top sheet is affected by an intermittently operating withdrawing roller 3. The core 4 of the roller 3, which may also comprise several partial rollers or roller sections with distinct roller cores, is connected via a pivoting linkage 5 with a shaft 9, which will be described further below. The linkage 5 is mounted rotatably on the shaft 9 and contains at its other end the hearing or bearings for the withdrawing roller 3; conveniently there are provided two linkages, namely one at each end of the withdrawing roller 3.

The stack 1 is located on a base plate 6, having an upwardly sloping edge 7 over the upper edge 8 of which the topmost sheet 2 is withdrawn. The sheet passes between two rollers 10, 11, of which the roller 10 is mounted rigidly on the shaft 9 and is continuously rotated in the direction of the arrow 12, while the roller 11, or a disk-shaped section, is mounted on a central shaft.

A core or projection of the roller 11 may have a lateral disk with a notch 14 and an adjacent step 15, adapted to receive a pivoting pawl 16. The roller 11 has also a cut circumferential part with a chordal base 17 'which is opposite the roller 10 when the pawl is engaged so that there is a gap between these two rollers in this position.

The rollers 10 and 11 are so arranged that they are in driving engagement when the cut-off section 17 is moved out of the zone of contact. These rollers are mounted rotatably in a frame, not shown in detail, and having assembly walls disposed parallel to the plane of the drawing. The driving means may comprise individual motors or gearings, layshafts or the like.

The roller 11 has a projecting disk 18 mounted thereon, and containing an eccentric abutment 19 for a spring 20, the other end of which is mounted at 21 in the frame. The pivoting pawl 16 is mounted rotatably in the frame at 22, which is intermediate of the ends of the pawl. When the pawl is disengaged, the spring 20' pulls the roller 11 out of the inoperative position into the position in which it engages the other roller 10.

A deflectable element 23 is mounted behind the rollers 10, 11 in the gap and may engage into peripheral recesses. This element forms the actuating member for a switch 24 and is referred to as the sensor.

It may be seen from the preceding description that the three roller-shaped parts 3, 10, 11 form together an in termittently operating transport mechanism, consisting of three parts with entirely different functions.

One part is the roller which revolves continuously and has therefore a jerk-free operation. The second member is the withdrawing roller 3 which is actuated only when a sheet is to be withdrawn from the stack 1. The third member is the roller 11 which revolves as a function of the introduction of an original. While the roller 10 revolves continuously so that the unit can be regarded as a continuously revolving unit, the two rollers or groups of rollers 3 and 11 are so constructed that they are operated alternatively.

Regarding the roller 11, the invention provides a special construction and arrangement, comprising the pivoting pawl 16 and the spring 20. The pawl is actuated by a frame-mounted actuating magnet 25. In addition, the continuously revolving roller 10 is equipped with a coupling arrangement, shown generally at 26, whereby the withdrawing roller 3 is rotated, via a belt drive 27, when the coupling is engaged. The clutch coupling comprises a driven member 28, over which runs the belt 27, and a coupling member 29 driven continuously in conjunction with the roller core or hub 18, and axially fixed. The driven member 28 is constructed after the manner of a bush and may be axially displaced between roller sections 52, 53 on the shaft 9, as indicated by an arrow 30. This coupling member is engaged by a clip 31, connected by an arm 32 to an actuating magnet 33. The linkage, comprising the parts 31 and 32, is mounted on a support 34, biased by a spring 35 tending to keep the parts 28, 29 apart. These parts form a dog clutch in which the mutually facing surfaces are equipped with teeth 36 and corresponding recesses 37. This dog clutch may be equipped with only a few teeth, because the definite disengagement is important while the timing of the engagement is less relevant. When the actuating magnet is energized, the clutch coupling is engaged and when the magnet is de-energized, the spring 35 ensures the disengagement of the clutch. Thus, the withdrawing roller 3 operates only in accordance with the control just described.

FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 show a drive motor 166, driving the shaft 9 and the roller 10 via a reduction gearing 167, and the rollers 49, 50 and 54, 55 via reduction gearings 168, 169.

FIG. 3 shows a circuit diagram. A power lead 38 is connected to leads 39, 40. The lead 40 is connected in turn through a branch 41 with the arm 23 of a reversing switch, having fixed contacts 42, 43.

The switch is so constructed that the arm 23 rests, in the starting position, possibly under spring bias, on the fixed contact 43 and is moved, on actuating by a copying paper, to the fixed contact 42. The fixed contact 43 is connected by a lead 44 with the winding 45 of the actuating magnet 33 which is energized, when no copying material is present in the starting position of the arm 23 of the switch 24. It may be seen from FIG. 1 that the switching, and thus also the control of the clutch coupling 26, is effected by the leaving sheet of copying material.

The sheet of copying material passes through the gap formed by the circumferential recess and makes contact with the switch arm 23. This causes the drive for the sheet, i.e., the part comprising the roller 3, to be stopped and no paper can be supplied. If, however, an actuating lever 46 with following actuating lever 47 releases an impulse into the circuit for a winding 48 of the magnet 25, in order to energize the single revolution control, the shaft or disk 11 is brought by the spring 20 into engagement with the mating roller and after one revolution the locking pawl engages again into the recess.

The spring 20 establishes engagement between the roller 11 and the continuously revolving roller 10. Hence, the roller 11 makes contact with the roller 10 with the trailing edge of its flattened portion and carries along a sheet of paper which has been fed into the gap between the rollers and freely located in this gap, and this sheet of paper is transported in a defined manner when it reaches the gap between the rollers 49, 50. By these means, it can be transported at least through a charging device. It is only important that the circumferential length of the section of the roller 11 on either side of the flat 17 is greater than the distance between the zone of contact of rollers .10, 11 on one hand and a downstream pair of rollers 49, 50 on the other hand, which rollers are mounted in the frame (FIG. 1).

For the transport of the original, there may be provided two rollers 54, 55, mounted in the frame, to which the original is supplied in the direction of the arrow 56. After its passage, its leading edge act-uates the pair of switches '57 with switch arms 46, 47, whereby the roller 11 is actuated by means of the magnet 25 energized by the winding 48.

When the apparatus is switched on by means of the main switch 58, the actuating magnet 33, through the winding 45, is first energized. This causes the roller 3 to be rotatively driven and to withdraw a copying sheet of paper which passes through the slot between the rollers 10 and 11 to the switch arm 23. The impact on this switch arm 23 causes the actuating winding 45 of magnet 33 to be deenergized, and the drive of the roller 3 to be disengaged. The topmost, withdrawn, sheet of paper stops.

When now during the advance of an original to be copied between the rollers 54, 55 the pair of switches 57 is actuated, so that the contact 46 (FIG. 3) is first closed and during the continuing advance the contact 47 is then opened, a short impulse is applied also to the winding 48 to actuate the magnet 25.

This impulse causes the locking pawl 16 to be disengaged against the force of the compression spring 59, i.e., the roller 11 revolves and makes contact with the roller 10. The copying material located in the gap between the rollers is carried along. The switch arm 23 of the switch 24 is also entrained, or kept in the reversed position, so that any energization of the magnet winding 45 is im possible.

Thus, the invention provides a solution, in which two continously and intermittently operating members cooperate in one drive unit and in which the copying sheet is brought by automatic control into a ready position, which is determined exclusively by the original. A second intermittent arrangement is applied to a continuously working device and the latter is thereby extended.

One of the principal advantages of the invention is its simple electrical circuitry. The construction of the switch 24 as a reversing switch eliminates the necessity for further switches.

The circuit is shown in FIG. 3, and will be explained in the following with references to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The mains switch 58 is interposed in the mains leads 61 and controls also the motor 166. A circuit section 41 contains the reversing switch 24, connected on one hand by a lead 44 with the winding 45 of the actuating magnet 33 (FIGS. 1 and 2), and on the other hand by a lead 62 with the switching unit 57, comprising switch arms 46, 47, and from there by a lead 63 with the winding 48 of the actuating magnet 25.

The separation of the two circuits, controlled by the leading edge and the trailing edge of the copying paper, respectively, prevents overlapping of copying papers and eliminates thereby freewheeling clutches and the like.

A further advantage of the invention concerns the fact that optical transfer systems, mounted in these apparatuses, are usually sensitive to shocks and vibration. This is the case particularly with weak light sources, such as fluorescent lamps. Such shocks occur if intermittently operating parts with comparatively large masses are actuated together. This is prevented by the overlapping of the operating phases described above. According to the invention, the roller 10 functions so that no acceleration is required. The roller 11 is preliminarily accelerated by the spring 20, so that the apparatus is further relieved or an acceleration is produced before the roller 11 makes contact with the driven part. The spring force is stored along a long path in the form of a sine-shaped curve and is therefore also large shock-free.

'FIG. 4 shows a modified circuit. 65 indicates the mains lead, containing a mains switch 64. The mains lead is connected to drive means 166 for continuously revolving parts, such as rollers 54, 55, 59, 50 and 10.

FIG. 4 shows the magnet winding 66 for the actuating magnet 33 in FIG. 2, and 67 for the actuating magnet 25 in FIG. 1. The switch arms 46, 47 in FIG. 1 are shown at 68 and 69 in FIG. 4, while the switch 24 with the arm 23 in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 4 at 70 and 71, respectively. In addition to the FIG. 3 circuit, the fixed contact 72 of the reversing switch 70 is also connected to a circuit 75, parallel to the circuit 74. A double switch with switching arms 76, 77 is mounted in these circuits. This switch is actuated as a function of the rotation of the roller 11, by means of a cam control fixed thereto. This cam control is shown in FIG. 4 merely diagrammatically by means of a cam disk 78 with a flattened portion. The two circuits 74, 75 contain, behind the switch arms 76, 77, the magnetic winding 66 and a warning lamp 79. When the roller 11 is at standstill, the twin switch is closed, and it opens when the roller 11 revolves.

The original is applied in the direction of the arrow 80, while the copying paper follows the path indicated by the arrow 81.

After switching on the apparatus, the magnetic winding 66 is energized, and the withdrawing roller is revolved, until the copying paper impinges on the switch arm 71, causing the coupling 26 (FIG. 2) to be disengaged. The movement of the switch arm 71 causes the lamp 79 to be switched on via the circuit 75. The apparatus is ready for copying.

If now an original is introduced, the magnetic winding 67 is energized for a short duration via the switches 68, 79, i.e., the pivoting locking pawl 16 (FIG. 1) is withdrawn, the roller 11 starts as already described and performs one revolution. This roller also actuates the cam control 78 for opening the switches 76, 77, i.e., the lamp 79 is extinguished and so long as the roller 11 revolves, it is impossible to deliver a sheet of copying paper, even if the copying carrier has passed with its trailing edge over the switch arms 71 or 23 in FIG. 1, i.e., has left the ready position. I

In the following description of the embodiments of FIGS. to 9, elements similar to those of FIG. 1 are shown in a partly differing arrangement. The function of these parts is apparent from FIG. 1 and the associated constructions, and the following description relates therefore mainly to the differences, while the individual components are explained with reference to FIG. 1.

The paper stack 82 in FIGS. 7 and 8 corresponds to the stack 1 in FIG. 1. On the top sheet rests a roller 83 (corresponding to the roller 3 in FIG. 1), consisting, for example, of two parts, and mounted by means of pivoting clips 84, 85 (corresponding to clips 5- in FIG. 1) articulately on the shaft 86 (corresponding to shaft 9 in FIG. 1) for a roller 87, corresponding to the roller in FIG. 1. The roller 87 also consists of two parts. Underneath this roller 87 is a flattened roller 88, which may also be in two parts. The shaft 90 of this roller is mounted underneath the shaft 86, as viewed in FIGS. 5 and 6, and carries a gear 89.

The construction in two parts has the object of permitting a switch 91 ('FIG. 5) to be arranged in the zone between the two parts, and engaging with a switch arm 92 into the space between the rollers 87 and 88.

The pivoting clips 84, 85 have at their ends bearing orifices in which shafts 86 and 100, respectively, are rotatively mounted. A coupling arrangment 93, corresponding to the coupling 26 in FIG. 2, is provided and shown in detail in FIG. 6. The driven coupling member 94 is mounted on the shaft 86. The other coupling member 95 has a pulley-shaped recess 96, over which run belts 97, 98, passing over a pulley 99 on the shaft 100, carrying the roller 83.

The shaft 86 passes through an assembly wall 101 and carries a sprocket 102 which is connected with the drive motor 147 which runs continuously, after the apparatus has been switched on.

The second coupling member 95 has a groove 103 into which engages the forked end 104 of a pivoting lever 105, which may turn about a pivot 106 located perpendicularly to the shaft 86. The pivot may be arranged, for example, on the top wall 107 (FIG. 5) of a housing, shown at 108 in FIG. 8.

This housing contains the control members for the arrangement shown. These control members comprise an actuating magnet 109 for the pivoting lever and a further actuating magnet 110 (FIG. 5) for a pivoting pawl 111. The ends of the pivoting lever 105 and of the pivoting pawl 111, respectively, are mounted on the armature 112 and 113, respectively, of the magnets. The magnets are equipped with springs 114, 115, tending in the de-energized position to retain the pivoting lever 105 in a position such that the clutch coupling 93- is open and to retain the locking pawl 111 with its other end in a step 116 of a so-called hook roller. This step corresponds to the notch 14 in \FIG. 1. The cam equipped with this step is shown at 117 in FIGS. 5 and 6, and thr pivot of the pawl 111 is shown at 118.

It may be seen from FIGS. 5 and 6 that the cam 117 is mounted rotatably on a pivot 119. A gear 120 is firmly connected with the cam 117 and meshes with a gear 89. Also connected with the cam is an arrangement of two actuating cams 121, 122, on which the actuating levers 123, 124 for the switches :125, 126 are arranged. The roller 93 is affected by a spring 148 (corresponding to the spring 20 in FIG. 1) whose other end is mounted on the main frame. In FIG. 8, the shaft 86 passes on the top through the assembly wall and may carry a diskshaped crank 149 with an eccentric pin 150 to which one end of spring 148 is secured. The other end of the spring 148 is fixed to the pin 151 in the frame. The gears 89 and 120 have a ratio of 1:2 such that the roller 93 revolves twice when the cam 117 with the step 116 makes one revolution.

The arrangement is shown in the starting position. The function will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The original is introduced along the path shown by arrow 1.27 between driven rollers 128, 129 (corresponding to rollers 54, 55 in FIG. 1) in front of an exposure surface 130, and rollers 131, 132 behind this exposure surface. Between the pairs of rollers are switches 133, 134, 135, 136, adapted to be operated by the leading and trailing edges of the original, respectively.

The charging device 137 (51 in FIG. 1) is mounted in the direction of movement of the copying sheet, transported by the rollers 87, 88. The sheet of copying paper is transported between the pairs of rollers 138, 139, past a reproduction window 140, and from there through an upwardly concave developing device 141 and in the direction of the arrow 142 past thermal radiators 143 and 144 to the delivery slot. The radiators form a drier. Additionally thereto, a fan 145 (FIG. 9) may [be located in this zone.

The driven pairs of rollers 128, 129; 131, 132; 138, 139 and, for example 146, are connected, by means not shown, with the main motor of the apparatus, shown at 147 in 'FIG. 9. The pairs of rollers 138, 139 are mainly transporting means at the reproducing window and are synchronously driven (corresponding to rollers 49, .50 in FIG. 1).

In the corresponding circuit diagram, corresponding parts are designated with the same reference numerals to facilitate the explanation.

Firstly, it must be stressed that the switches 125, 126 are actuated during the control for a longer period, i.e., for longer than corresponds, for example, to one revolution of the roller 88. For this reason, the cam disks 121, 122 have cams 15, 153, which are so offset relative to FIG. that the switches 125, 126 are operated a certain time after the starting of the apparatus.

FIG. 9 shows a circuit 154, connected to a power source 155. This circuit may be energized by closing a main switch 156. The motor 147 rotates a shaft 86 and also the other revolving parts of the apparatus. The radiators 143, 144 and the fan 145 are also connected.

The radiator 143 may be constructed to be switched on and off by a thermostat 159, in order to maintain a certain temperature. A circuit 160 contains the winding of the actuating magnet 109 and a fixed contact 161 of the switch 91, having a switching arm 92 and resting in the starting position, i.e., When no paper is in the ready position, on the fixed contact 161, as shown in the drawing. This causes the clutch to be closed. The roller 83 transports a copying paper between the rollers 87, 88 until the switching arm 92 has been contacted and is repositioned into the dotted line position in FIG. 9, in which it rests on the fixed contact 162. This causes the actuating magnet 109 to be de-energized and the spring 114 disengages the coupling 93.

The original, introduced in the direction of the arrow 127, operates first the switch 133. The actuating magnet 110 is thereby energized and the locking pawl 111 is lifted from its ratchet 116. The spring 148 pulls the roller 88 into engagement with the periphery of the continuously revolving roller 87, whilst the copying paper is located between the rollers and the drive is transmitted via the copying paper. After a short travel of the original, the switch 134 is opened, the magnet 110 is de-energized and the spring 115 places the pawl 111 against the periphery of the can disk 117 so that it engages into the ratchet 117 after one revolution of the cam disk.

The cam disks 117, 121, 122 are driven by the reduction gearing 89, 120, so that the roller 88 makes two revolutions before the cam disk is again locked. The object of this arrangement is to transport the copying paper without intermediate additional roller pairs through the charging device 137 behind the reproduction window 140 or to the roller pair 139. Conveniently, the transmission ratio of the gear means is such that the mating or feed roller 88 is so driven through several revolutions that the product of the number of revolutions and the circumference of the mating or feed roller 11, 88 corresponds at least to the transportation travel of the leading edge of the copying material through the charging device 137, but preferably to the travel behind the reproduction window, i.e., that the leading edge of the original is behind the window 130. Switches 135, 136 arranged there can then perform control tasks hitherto performed by switches 125, with accurately controlled switching function.

The charging device 137 is energized by actuating the switch 125 by the entering sheet of copying paper. This switch remains closed, until the leading edge of the original reaches the switch 135. This switch now undertakes via the circuit 163 the energizing of the charging device 137 until the trailing edge of the copying sheet has passed therethrough.

With the rotation of the cam disk 117, also the cam disk 122 has been rotated. After a delay, determined by the arrangement of the cams 152, the switch 126 is operated with a certain delay relative to the switch 125 which switches the relay 164 in the circuit 165. This relay operates the light source 166 through a contact. The length of the cam 152 is such that the relay is held in the energized state until the leading edge of the original opcrates the switch 136, which then holds the relay 164 until the trailing edge of the original has left the exposure window. This control is particularly important,

because the switching on timing may be made to coincide with the entry of the sheet into the reproduction frame.

When the trailing edge of the copying sheet frees the switching arm 91, after the trailing edge of this sheet has left the pair of rollers 87, 88, the actuating magnet 109 is again energized for delivering a new sheet of paper.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for delivering a sheet of copying paper from a stack as a function of an original to be copied being supplied to the apparatus, comprising a stack holder for the stack of copy papers, two transport means associated with the said stack, of which one is an intermittently driven withdrawing roller and the other consists of a combination of a continuously driven transport mechanism and a mating element and comprising drive means for the continuously revolving transport device, and first switching means as limit switches in the direction of movement of the copy sheets downstream of the said combination of continuously driven transport mechanism and mating element and second switching means in the path of an original and connected with the said first switching means, and comprising further a gear control between the drive means and the intermittently driven withdrawing roller and the intermittently driven mating element, the said gear control being equipped with two actuating magnets for connecting the intermittently driven elements to the drive means, wherein the said magnets are actuable by the said first and second switching means, wherein the first switching means are so connected with the first actuating magnet for connecting the intermittently driven withdrawing roller that the withdrawing roller is stopped on actuation of the said first switching means by a copying sheet, and is connected to the drive means on the release of the first switching means, and the second switching means are connected with the second actuating magnet for connecting the mating element to the drive means, wherein the said mating element is given a forward acceleration matching the speed of other driven components.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the said continuously driven transport device is a roller, between which and the intermittently driven withdrawing roller mounted on the upper side of the stack, a clutch coupling is mounted which is connected with the first actuating magnet, wherein furthermore the mating element is a mating feed roller provided with a peripheral recess and adapted to be released by the second switching means being actuated by the original and making engagement with the continuously driven roller for a defined period of time, in that the recess is moved out of alignment with the continuously driven roller.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the gear control comprises a force accumulator, mounted on one hand on the mating feed roller and on the other hand on a frame, and comprising further a locking pawl engaging on one hand into a ratchet step on the mating feed roller and connected on the other hand with the said second actuating magnet, which is connected to the second switching means and which, on being energized by the second switching means, disengages the pawl from the ratchet step, while the force accumulator imparts a rotational movement to the mating feed roller, while, when the ratchet step is engaged by the pawl, the said mating feed roller is so retained that its recess is within the region of the continuously driven roller.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, comprising a cam control arrangement on the mating feed roller acting on a switch in the circuit of the actuating magnet which is connected to the coupling in the gear control for the intermittently driven withdrawing roller, wherein the cam control arrangement actuates the drive of the mating feed roller in a certain rhythm, and wherein the actuating magnet is connected to the first switching means, in order to de-energize this coupling when the first switching means are actuated.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, comprising a drive mechanism between the continuously driven roller and the withdrawing roller with a transmission such that the withdrawing roller exerts a higher drive speed on a copying sheet carried from the stack than the continuously driven roller, wherein the drive transmission is so arranged relative to the arrangement of the delivery end of the stack in relation to the position of the withdrawing roller and in relation to the continuously driven roller such that the leading edge of a subsequent copying sheet reaches a sensor of the first switching means within the zone of the continuously driven roller immediately after its release by a previously removed copying sheet.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the coupling is arranged on the shaft of the continuously driven roller and is positively connected with a sensor of the first switching means, and may be actuated by the release of this sensor, and wherein a control arrangement is mounted between the mating feed roller and the said second switching means, causing the multiple rotation of the mating feed roller.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the first switching means for the actuating magnet are constructed as a reversing switch, operating the first coupling via the actuating magnet, causing in one position the deenergization and in the other position the energization of the coupling, wherein the de-energization is effected by the delivery of a copying sheet from the stack into the ready position, and the energization as a function of the absence of a copying sheet in this ready position, and wherein the reversing switch is connected to two circuits, one of which contains a warning lamp and the other the actuating magnet for the coupling, wherein an On-Off switch is provided in both branches, which switch is normally closed, and comprising further a cam on the mating feed roller which opens the said switch when the onerevolution mating feed roller is rotatively driven.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 3, comprising a cam disk with a cam shoulder, and mounted for rotation, gear means between this cam disk and a shaft of the mating feed roller, wherein the ratchet step for the pawl is formed by the cam shoulder and the pawl is adapted to be disengaged by the second actuating magnet for rotation of the mating feed roller, and wherein the gear means have a ratio of the order of a whole multiple such that the mating feed roller makes more revolutions than the single-revolution cam disk into whose shoulder the pawl engages after one revolution, thereby stopping the cam disk and the mating feed roller.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein further actuating cams are provided on the cam disk, and comprising switch arms which are actuated by the cams during their passage therepast so as to cause the switches to close, and wherein the said switches are mounted in the control circiuts for an exposure device and a charging device.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the charging device is arranged, in the direction of movement of the copying material, immediately behind the first switching means and the combination formed by the continuously driven roller and the intermittently driven mating feed roller, wherein the said mating or feed roller is actuated in rotation by the said transmission means through several revolutions, such that the product of the number of revolutions and the circumferential length of the mating feed roller is at least equal to the transport travel of the leading edge of the copying sheet through the said charging device.

11. An apparatus as set forth in claim 10, comprising in a copying device and downstream of the charging device in the path of the material sheet, a reproduction area, and wherein the number of revolutions of the mating or feed roller is such that the leading edge of the copying sheet is transported from the continuously driven roller and the mating feed roller to a point behind the said reproduction area.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,044,386 7/1962 Limberger 355-107 JOHN M. HORAN, Primary Examiner 

